Fastening means for demountable rims



J. C. FULLER.

FASTENING menus ron oemounnme nuns.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1B. 19] I.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

THE COLUMBIA FLANMRAPH E0. WASIIINGNN. D. C.

J. C. FULLER.

FASTENING MEANS FOR DEMOUNTABLE RIMS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18. HI].

Patented Sept. 2, 19195 2 $HEETSSHEET 2- JOSEPH C. FULLER, 0F SEWAREN, NEW JERSEY.

FASTENING MEANS FOR DEMOUNTABLE RIMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

Application filed September 18, 1917. Serial No. 191,910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn C. FULLER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Sewaren, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastening Means for Demountable Rims, of which the following is a specification.

My invention comprehends more particularly certain improved retaining means for demountable rims, the object of which is to facilitate the mounting and demounting of the tire carrying rim so that less effort is required and a change of tire may be made with greater expedition than is possible with hitherto known means.

A further-object of the invention is tosecure the demountable rim in place by a pressure distributed around the rim, such pressure being built up and applied equally at all points throughout the circumference of the rim during the operation of the securing means.

Demountable rims as now almost universally used are secured to the wheel felly by a series of wedges removably fastened to the wheel felly by suitable bolts and nuts. These wedges are distributed around the folly and are tightened or manipulated individually when the tire carrying rim is being mounted or demounted. As a result of this individual manipulation oftimes the rim is not properly positioned upon the folly band owing to a reater pressure being exerted against certain of the wedges in the tightening of the retaining nuts than is applied to others. The consequence of this is that uneven wear of the tire will ensue and squeaking and noise invariably arise to the annoyance of the occu ants. In practice, it is found very difiicul t to tighten these wedges uniformly so that the rim will be properly positioned upon the folly. With my invention, these objectionable characteristics of this type of mounting are eliminated.

In the accompanylng drawings, I have illustrated by way of example certain preferable embodiments of my invention, in which- Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of a fragmentary portion of an automobile wheel illustrating one form of my invention ap plied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a frag taining ring mentary portion of a wire Wheel showing the a plication of my invention thereto.

Figs. i and 5 are vertical cross-sectional views illustrating certain details.

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective of a spring latch used for locking the rim retaining means in operative position.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of pressure retaining member.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 6, 1 indicates the spokes, 2 the folly, 3 stop flange mounted thereon, 4 demountable rim and 5 pneumatic tire mounted thereon, all of which may be of a conventional type. Passing through the felly at equi-distant points thcrearouml are the series of bolts 6 having provided at one end a retaining head or flange 7, spaced from the side of the folly so as to provide a reduced neck or shank portion 8 for the reception of a slotted retaining ring 9. This slotted retaining ring is annular in form extending completely around the felly of the wheel and is provided with a U-shaped or channel-like extension 10 and a flanged portion 11 adapted to fit closely against the side of the felly, this flange portion being provided with slot-ted or cutout portions 12 for the reception of the bolts 6. The slots 12 are onlarge-d at one end as at 13 to enable the head 7 to freely pass and reduced at the other end so to receive the shank 8 of the bolt with the bolt head 7 outside acting to retain the ring in position after it has been given a partial rotation.

Positioned within the U-shaped or channel-like portion of the retaining ring 10 is a Wedge-shaped ring 15 provided with an extremity 16 operating within a cutaway portion 17 in the wheel felly. This wedge ring is also provided with an angular face or chamfered surface 18 which engages the demountable rim 4 and serves to wedge the rim laterally of the telly and radially thereof upon its manipulation. The wedging ring 15 is also provided with a circular face 19 conforming to the contour of an inflatable member 20 positioned between it and the wall of the U-extremity of the re- 9. This inflatable member is provided with a valve 21 extending through a hole in the ring 9, so as to enable its inflation or deflation as exigencies require. The inflatable member 20 is preferably madeof rubber similar to the inner tube wedging ring, so as to prevent the tubular inflatable member from becoming pinched between the wedging ring and the retaining of a pneumatic tire excepting, of course, on a greater reduced cross-sectional scale.

It is obvious that upon inflation of the tube or member 20 through the valve 21,

the wedging ring 15 will tend to move the In Fig. 3,1 have illustrated my invention demountablc rim 4 laterally of the wheel as applied to a wire wheel in which case the felly and radially thereof until it is firmly wedging ring is o l slightly different formasecured in its proper position. It is equally tion and the retaining ring instead of havobvious that the pressure built up in the ing a flange 11 diverging at right angles to tube is equally distributed throughout the the legs of the U, it extends coincident circumferences of the wedging ring 15, so thereto, as at 32, so as to engage a coinciding that the deniountable rim will be caused to flange 33 of the metal felly plate of the uniformly seat itself in proper alined posiwheel. Similar locking means may be emtion upon the folly. ployed to that illustrated and described in In order to lock the retainin ring 9 in connection with Figs. 1 and 2, excepting position to prevent accidental islodgment that the headed retaining, bolt in this inof said ring, a locking disk 22 is used. This stance will comprise a short headed stud 34- locking disk is arranged to fit Within the riveted or otherwise suitably fastening to recess 13 provided in the retaining ring and the wheel rim. In both cases, the retaining is held therein by the spring member 23 ring will be given a partial rotary moveupon which it is mounted. This spring ment to alinc the headed retaining lugs member is fastened to the retaining ring with the enlarged cutout portions of the at 24, and a head 2:") is provided for its (on-- ring slots to permit the removal of the ring venient manipulation. from the folly.

To dismount a tire. the valve 21 in the While I have illustrated and described the valve casing is depressed so as to relieve the principles of my invention as applied to corair pressure within the member 20. This tain specific embodiments. I have done this releases the wedging ring 15 and permits in an illustrative rather than in a definitive its disengagement from the demountable sense, wishing it to be understood that strucring, then by withdrawing the pins 22 and tural details and arrangements of parts may revolving the sprin members 23 around be changed and departed from without depivots 24, the retaining rin 9 can then by parting from the spirit and scope of my ina partial rotary movement in the direction vention, as defined by the appended claims. of the arrow (see Fig. 1) aline the heads Having thus described my invention, 7 of the bolts 6 with the enlarged openings what I claim as new herein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of a vehicle wheel provided with a demountable rim, fastening means therefor comprising a member adapted to cooperate with the folly of the wheel and demountable rim to exert ressure against the latter tending to move it laterally and radially of the wheel and an extensible air tube cooperating with the wedge member tending to move it toward the wheel felly and means for securing the wedge member and extensible tube in operative position with relation to the wheel.

2. The combination with a vehicle wheel, of a demountable rim. means for securing said rim upon said Wheel, said means com- 13 in the retaining ring after which the ring, wedge and pressure tube may be removed from the wheel as well as the demountable rim.

The inflatable member 20 may be a tube in the form of an annulus, or it may be a blind ended tube such as shown in Fig. 7 in which case the ends would be slightly overlapped before inflating. It may be of advantage to provide means for retaining the wedging ring 15 and the inflatable pressure member 20 in assembled relation with respect to the retaining ring 9. so as to enable them to be handled as a unit. I have V 1 shown a means for accomplishing this in Fig. 4, in which the wedging ringis provided with a cutaway portion 26 and an extension'i' prising a wedge mem er, a pneumatic tube 27 adapted to, by its engagement with a deand retaining means therefor comprising a pending finger 28, form a continuation of {trough-shaped ring member having detachthe plate 29 riveted at 30' to the ring to be'able connection with the folly of the retained in assembled position. This p whee1.

29 may be formed of springy material and 3. The combination with a vehicle wheel may be provided with a bent-up portion 30 provided with a demountable rim, means for to enable its displacement by a screw drive securing said rim upon the wheel, said means or other implement, thus permitting th f' comprising a Wedge member in the form of convenient separation of the wedging rin an annulus and an inflatable tube juxtaposed and inflatable member from the retaining thereto, a ring detachably secured to the ring. I may also find it of advantage 0 folly of the wheel and provided with an exuse a fabric flap or covering 31, the edge tension adapted to cooperate with the inof which extend ;beyond the edges of the flatabl'e tube to hold it in place, so that its inflation will cause the wedge member to tighten the demountabe rim upon the wheel.

4. The combination with a Wheel provided with a demountable rim, locking means for securing the rim in place upon the Wheel, said locking means comprising a wedge member, an inflatable tube coiiperating therewith, retaining means for said Wedge memher and inflatable tube, said retaining means including a slotted ring, a plurality of beaded studs secured to the wheel in position to cooperate with the slots of the ring and adapted when properly positioned to retain the ring in proper operative position upon the wheel.

5. The combination with a wheel provided with a demountable rim, locking means for securing the rim in place upon the wheel, said locking means comprising a Wedge member and inflatable'tube, said retaining means including a slotted ring, a plurality of headed studs secured to the wheel in position to cooperate with the slots of the ring and adapted when properly positioned to retain the ring in proper operative position upon the wheel, and locking means for sai ring, said means comprising a plurality of copies of thin patent may he obtained for spring-pressed studs carried by the ring and adapted to cooperate with the slots thereof and the folly.

6. The combination of a vehicle Wheel provided with a demountable rim, locking means for securing same upon the Wheel, said locking means comprising a wedge member, a pneumatic tube and retaining means therefor comprising a trough-shaped ring detachably secured to the wheel felly, said ring being provided with retaining fingers adapted to coiiperate with the wedge member to hold the Wedge member and pneumatic tube in assemblage with respect to the troughshaped ring.

7. The combination with a vehicle Wheel provided with a demountable rim, means for securing said rim upon said wheel, said means comprising a wedge member, a pneumatic tube, a flexible flap or covering interposed between the pneumatic tube and Wedge member and extending beyond the edges of the latter, retaining means for the Wedge member and pneumatic tube comprising a trough-shaped ring havi a part detachably secured to the wheel fe 1y.

JOSEPH C. FULLER.

five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner 0! Patents,

wuhinfton, D. 0." 

